Her Hidden Crowns (Suzanne and Austin)

From that day on, Cheryl had been calling Seline non-stop. But Seline had

already blocked her number, refusing to answer.

Today, Cheryl finally managed to get through with a new number.

The moment Seline heard her voice, her anger exploded. With one hand on her hip and the other gripping her phone, she snapped, "You couldn't even do a simple job right, and you still have the nerve to ask me for money?"

She was already furious about Todd's mess. And now, this idiot, Cheryl, dared to come knocking on her door looking for payment?

"Listen up, Cheryl," she spat coldly, her voice dripping with venom. "You should be grateful I haven't come after you for screwing up. And now, you wanna talk about money? You? Get lost!"

Without another word, she hung up. She hurled her phone across the desk.

No wonder Cheryl and Suzanne were friends. Both were useless bitches.

...

In the hallway outside the hospital ward, Cheryl stared at her phone after the call ended. At that moment, it felt like all her strength had been drained from her body. She leaned against the railing, slowly sliding down until she collapsed onto the floor.

Since that day, regret had been eating her alive-like a slow, excruciating death.

She had betrayed her friend, and in the end, she hadn't even gotten the reward she was promised.

Cheryl wished she could slap herself twice over. Why had she agreed to do something like that for Seline in the first place?

Her hands trembled as she held her phone and pulled up Suzanne's number. Her thumb hovered over the dial button, staring at it for what felt like an eternity.

Since everything had happened, Cheryl had never found the courage to apologize to Suzanne. She had no idea how to face her.

Torn and in agony, she struggled with herself. Half an hour later, her legs had gone numb, but her finger finally pressed down on the dial button. The call went through instantly.

Even if Suzanne shot back at her with cold words, Cheryl knew she had to do this. It was what Suzanne deserved. She even braced herself for the possibility that the call would be hung up on.

At that moment, Suzanne was on her way home from work and had stopped at a red light when her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the name on the caller ID, she hesitated for a second but decided to pick up.

"Hey."

When the familiar, soft voice came through the other end, Cheryl froze. Her voice cracked with guilt as she said, "Suzanne, I'm so sorry about what happened that day...."

As soon as the words left her mouth, tears started streaming down Cheryl's face. She knew things would never be the same between them. No more late-night dinners, drinks, or heart-to-heart talks. The thought made her chest ache so badly it felt like every breath was a struggle.

Suzanne had been furious about the betrayal, but hearing Cheryl's voice now somehow calmed her anger. Still, some things had changed for good.

"Even if it weren't you, it would've been someone else," Suzanne said coolly. "Seline was out to get me, no matter what."

She couldn't bring herself to blame Cheryl entirely, but forgiveness wasn't on the table either.

Cheryl's legs gave out, and she slumped to the floor. She had known Suzanne for years and understood her better than most. The rift between them was real, and it was all her fault. The weight of her guilt felt like it was crushing her. She bit her lip hard, trying to keep herself from breaking down completely in front of Suzanne.

After a long pause, Cheryl managed to steady herself enough to speak. "I only went along with it because I thought I was helping you patch things up with your family. I had no idea your sister was setting you up. If I'd known, I never would've agreed to it."

Even though she had messed up big time, she owed Suzanne an explanation. Whether or not Suzanne forgave her was another story.

Cheryl tilted her head back, wiping the tears from her face. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I have to apologize to you. I'm so sorry..."

Suzanne slowly pressed the gas as the light turned green. The orange glow of the sunset filtered through the windshield, casting a warm light on her face. She replied softly, "Okay."noveldrama

Cheryl couldn't handle the conversation any longer and quickly hung up.

Suzanne stared at the darkened screen and let out a long sigh. A second later, her phone rang again.